Race Report: One Day at the Fair 24 Hours

After the disappointment of my previous attempt at a 24-hour race (on an egregiously hot day), I bounced back fairly quickly and was able to resume training. Calling it a day early turned out to have some benefits, I was able to recover quickly enough to try another 24-hour race that was only a little more than an hour's drive from where I live.

The training: I was able ramp up again quickly enough to get in a solid 7 weeks of training (after 2 weeks of recovery and allowing for 2 weeks of tapering). During that 7 weeks, I revisited VO2max work. I did 4 quality sessions and ended up boosting my VO2max (according to Garmin) to 56...a level similar to where I was before the knee injury (and a great number for a man who is almost 60 years old). I also revisited "steady state" intensity and did 4 solid workouts, covering as much as 11 miles at 7:22/mile pace. For the first time, I experimented with back-to-back long runs. I did this twice about 6 weeks and 3 weeks out from the race. These workouts boosted weekly mileage to over 90 miles the first week and over 100 miles the second time (after running 36 miles on Saturday and 20 miles on Sunday). These are the two highest weekly training mileage totals of my running career. I did my last long run (25 miles) only 13 days before race day. (Maybe a bit too close?)

The planned strategy: I planned to run very easy and try to make it to the 8-hour point feeling like I hadn't really started yet. I didn't work on any walking in my training so I intended to stick with super easy running all the way. Again I was hoping that I'd be able to get up around 120 miles or more.

The Race: Well...it got hot again. Bright sunshine. Maybe about 75 degrees or so at the peak of the day. Not nearly as hot as the last race, but since I've lost some heat acclimation...it felt very hot. Ugh. My legs felt a bit drained right from the start. Maybe I did too much on my double long-run weekends. Maybe I didn't taper enough. Maybe I just had a bad day. I was able to stay between 11 and 12 minutes per mile for the first 8 hours or so, but I felted nauseous and drained. It wasn't long after that, I started to mix in walking and take longer rests. By the 12-hour mark, I felt awful and just wanted to go home. However, I can't keep quitting these things and decided to stick it out over night. I was able to walk and run for a total of 80 miles by 5 AM (20 hours). I stopped there for a rest and my legs totally seized up...I had trouble walking. That is how it ended. I did more than the 63 miles I covered in the last race, but still fell way short.

The knee: My right knee hurt a lot more in this race, but it didn't slow me down or stop me. It seems I have a new pain now on the lateral side of the knee...possibly ITB syndrome. This really started to hurt after the race and now more than a full week later...doesn't seem to be improving very quickly. 

So...what went wrong? Well, I don't really know. I ran free and easy at an 8-hour race less than a year ago, covering 45 miles at 10:18/mile pace. I did this on minimal training (peak long run 22 miles, peak weak 46 miles, limited high intensity training). I have double the fitness now, but my results don't match. The heat may have a lot to do with it. I may have just had a couple of bad days. For this last effort, I did a crazy 56-mile weekend just 3 weeks out from the race. This may have been too much. I may not have tapered adequately. Also, in general, though my speed training (VO2max, tempo, and steady state) has been on point, my other runs have been very slow, compared with my pre-knee surgery training. Maybe to get to the next level, I'll need to see if I can sustain some slightly faster paces on long and medium runs. I can run 7:22/mile for 11 miles (as I did during one steady state workout). I can run for 40+ miles at 10:00/mile. However, I seem to struggle to do anything sustained in between these paces. Maybe it's a mechanical issue with my knee. To find out, I'm going to have purposely add some running in the 8-10 minute/mile range.

Adjustments made in response to failed 24-hour attempt in August: During the race in August I experienced extreme chafing and developed fueling fatigue with some of my choices (Tailwind and Clif bars, in particular). This time, I changed things up with: 1) my shorts (liner-less T8 shorts with compression running underwear); 2) my taping to prevent nipple and HR strap chafing (used 3M micropore tape); and 3) my fueling. I switched out Tailwind for Gatorade Endurance Formula and Clif Bars for Power Bars. This all worked very well in training and for the most part worked well in the race. I still got very tired of Power Bars. I guess energy bars don't work well for me, at least in hot weather. I still need to find some better fueling solutions especially for late in the race when I am sick to death of eating nothing but sugar. 

What's next: I've really been able to make it all the way back from my knee surgeries to some high-volume and high-quality training. My goals (from a running/training standpoint) have been met in a way that I could not have expected. I wanted to get back in the game and compete...and I have. So far, I don't feel that my results have reflected the work I put into my training. However, this is a separate issue from being able to train and compete again. 

Assuming I recover from this last 24-hour race, I will continue to push the boundaries of my training and see if I can get more competitive and improve my results. I think I'm due for something a bit shorter than a 24-hour race, but I'd love to work my way back to one some day. There is a slight chance I'll race again in December...perhaps in an 8-hour race (there are 2 fairly close to where I live). If I need more rest, I'll return to racing in the spring. Maybe something in the 50-mile to 100k range.

Finally, I must follow my own advice from earlier in this blog and throw out my old PRs. With each race now I am setting post-surgery PRs. 80 miles is my new PR for a 24-hour race. More post-surgery PRs are hopefully on the way. As I age, I will need to revisit this approach in the future. In 10 years, 20 years, and beyond, I will be a different runner than I am now. I will challenge myself to set new PRs for that body. That person. Not the one I am today.